Despite full-time working women typically earning just 81 cents for every dollar a man makes, they’re increasingly taking control of their financial futures by turning to the market.
In 2024, seven in 10 women owned investments in the stock market, according to most recent data from Fidelity. And it seems that they’re moving in the right direction. A 2025 Charles Schwab survey found that 90% of women investors reported feeling on the right track to reach their financial goals.
Their approach? Patience, discipline and playing the long game, according to Charles Schwab. To understand what drives these patterns, CNBC Select spoke with Cate Luzio, founder of Luminary, where she works closely with women investors and leaders.
They’re intentional
According to Luzio, women don’t just throw money at investments and hope for the best. They approach each opportunity with discipline, researching companies, understanding risk and asking the right questions.
“They do their homework, ask questions and make sure they understand an opportunity before committing capital,” Luzio says. “It’s about clarity and conviction, not bravado.”
How you can apply this
If you’re new to investing, it’s important to start each investment with a clear goal and a plan. For example, if you want to invest for retirement, decide how much you can contribute regularly, which accounts you’ll use and how your portfolio will be allocated. You might contribute 3% of your income into your employer’s 401(k) plan to get a company match or, if you don’t have access to a 401(k), open a Roth IRA to maximize tax advantages. Taking the time to ask questions, do your research and understand each decision helps you invest with confidence and avoid mistakes down the line.
They think long-term
Women often approach investing with patience, prioritizing consistent growth rather than quick wins. By staying the course and resisting the urge to react to short-term market fluctuations, they allow compounding to work in their favor and reduce the stress of trying to “time the market.”
“They’re less likely to make impulsive trades and more likely to stay the course, letting their money grow over time,” Luzio says.
How you can apply this
It can be tempting to believe that quick trades or chasing the next meme stock are the fastest ways to build wealth. But real financial growth usually comes from consistency, not sudden wins.
Instead of trying to time the market, focus on creating a system that keeps you investing regularly. A robo-advisor can help you do just that while you can be hands-off. Robo-advisors invest based on your timeline and risk tolerance, so you’re not reacting to every market swing. By setting up automated contributions where your money gets reinvested, you’re allowing your money to earn more money over time.
Options like Wealthfront and Betterment are both beginner-friendly and easy to use. Betterment is a good choice if you want access to a financial advisor or prefer a lower minimum to start investing. Many platforms also offer incentives for new users, like fee-free management for a limited amount of assets, which may make it easier to begin without a big upfront commitment.
Betterment
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Minimum deposit and balance
Minimum deposit and balance requirements may vary depending on the investment vehicle selected. For example, Betterment doesn’t require clients to maintain a minimum investment account balance, but there is a ACH deposit minimum of $10. Premium Investing requires a $100,000 minimum balance.
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Fees
Fees may vary depending on the investment vehicle selected, account balances, etc. Click here for details.
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Investment vehicles
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Investment options
Stocks, bonds, ETFs and cash
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Educational resources
Betterment offers retirement and other education materials
Terms apply. Does not apply to crypto asset portfolios.
Pros
- No trade or transfer fees
- Good for automated investing
- Customizes users’ portfolios around their financial goals, timeline and risk tolerance
- Users can assign specific investing goals (short- and long-term) to each portfolio and invest using different strategies (less and more risk)
- Quick and easy to set up account
- Able to sync external retirement accounts to your Betterment retirement goal so all your accounts are in one place. Premium plan users get unlimited access to a financial advisor (otherwise, one-time advisor consultations cost a fee ranging from $299 to $399)
- Advanced features include automatic rebalancing, tax-saving strategies and socially responsible investing
Cons
- Base price for investing accounts is $4/month – recurring monthly deposits totaling $250, or total Betterment account balances reaching $20,000, automatically switch you to an annual price of .25% of your investing account balances
- Premium plan requires $100,000 minimum balance
Wealthfront
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Minimum deposit and balance
Minimum deposit and balance requirements may vary depending on the investment vehicle selected. $500 minimum deposit for investment accounts
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Fees
Fees may vary depending on the investment vehicle selected. Zero account, transfer, trading or commission fees (fund ratios may apply). Wealthfront annual management advisory fee is 0.25% of your account balance
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Bonus
Get $30 bonus when you fund your first taxable investment account
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Investment vehicles
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Investment options
Stocks, bonds, ETFs and cash. Additional asset classes to your portfolio include real estate, natural resources and dividend stocks
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Educational resources
Offers free financial advice for college planning, retirement and homebuying
Pros
- No trade or transfer fees
- Good for automated investing
- Picks investments based on user’s risk tolerance and time until retirement
- Offers a cash management checking account with a debit card
- Tax-loss harvesting to reduce the taxes you pay:
- Fund your first taxable Investment Account and get a $50 bonus.
Cons
- $500 minimum deposit
- 0.25% management fee
They diversify
Another important aspect of managing your money is diversification. Luzio shares that women often think strategically about risk and aim to spread their money across different types of accounts, investments and goals. This is important because it helps protect your money if one investment loses value. By spreading your funds across assets, you reduce the risk of big losses and give your portfolio a better chance to grow steadily over time.
You can diversify your portfolio with precious metals through these gold IRAs
Offers in this section are from affiliate partners and selected based on a combination of engagement, product relevance, compensation, and consistent availability.
Initial Purchase Requirements
Minimum initial purchase requirement of $25,000
Minimum initial purchase requirement of $25,000
Account set-up fee of $50. Storage fees of $100 or $150 depending on storage type. Annual account administration fee of $125.
How you can apply this
One way to diversify within your investments is by considering broad index funds. Instead of putting all your money in an individual stock, index funds track a large group of companies, which helps spread out your risk. That means your performance isn’t tied to just one company’s success or failure, and you can still benefit from long-term market growth.
You also don’t have to focus only on investing to diversify your money. You can diversify by keeping cash for short-term goals in a high-yield savings account, while also contributing to a retirement account. With a high-yield savings account, you’ll have money available when you need it while still taking advantage of above-average compounding interest over time.
They lean on community
Another key investing habit Luzio highlights is the power of learning collaboratively. Women often discuss investing decisions within trusted circles, whether that’s friends, peers or professional networks. This shared knowledge helps them feel more confident, ask better questions and take action without feeling alone.
How you can apply this
You don’t have to navigate investing alone. Reach out to friends, join online communities or attend local workshops where financial topics are discussed. Leaning on community helps you gather insights, build confidence and make informed decisions while benefitting from perspectives you might not have considered on your own.
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Meet our experts
AtCNBC Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. For this story, we interviewedCate Luzio, former Wall Street executive and founder of Luminary.
Why trust CNBC Select?
AtCNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every investing article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of investment products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics.
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Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.
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